Drone Chimney & Stack Inspection
Nothing about a tall stack is convenient. It is high, usually hot, frequently in service, and the parts that fail first are at the very top — which is exactly where any access method is at its most expensive.
- Free to post
- No commission on the job
- Part 107 certified pilots
118 inspection pilots ready to quoteAcross 37 states & regions
The crown, without scaffold
The top few metres take the worst of the weather and the flue gas, and they are the last place any other access method reaches. A drone starts there.
In service, so it can be regular
Surveying a stack without taking the plant down means condition can be tracked yearly rather than discovered when scaffolding finally goes up.
Falling masonry is the risk
On an older brick or concrete stack the immediate concern is usually spalling material above an occupied area. Documenting the crown is how that gets managed rather than assumed.
Free to post
Posting and receiving quotes costs nothing, and SkyLog takes no commission and adds no markup. You pay the pilot you hire, at the price the two of you agree.
What this settles
- On masonry: cracked and spalling brickwork, washed-out mortar, displaced bricks at the crown, corroded banding, vegetation in joints and water tracking.
- On concrete: cracking, spalling with exposed reinforcement, carbonation staining, and visible liner condition at the top.
- On steel: coating breakdown and corrosion, weld condition, guy wire and anchor condition, platforms and ladder fixings.
- Across all three: lightning protection, aviation warning lights and cabling, and mounted instrumentation.
What it does not
- Assess the liner or the interior.
- Sound the masonry, measure steel thickness, or determine structural adequacy — those need contact, instruments or an engineer.
- Fly through the plume. Depending on the plant it may be hot, acidic, particulate-laden or all three, and the updraughts above are not trivial.
- Be scoped sensibly without knowing what the stack emits and at what temperature.
For a heritage or listed stack the question is structural risk and repair cost, and a photogrammetric model earns its place — it lets an engineer assess lean and quantify displacement without scaffolding a structure that may not be worth scaffolding.
How it works
Three steps, no account needed to start, and nothing to pay at any point in it.
- 1
Describe the job
The form opens with this page's answers already filled in — service, deliverable, site access. Add the location and anything specific to your site.
- 2
Pilots quote it
Every pilot whose service area and services match is notified. You get itemised quotes back with their credentials, kit and sample work attached.
- 3
Compare and hire
Pick on price, proximity or portfolio, and pay the pilot directly. SkyLog takes no cut and adds no markup to what you agree.
Inspection pilots with published profiles
Real published profiles. Open any one to see credentials, kit, service area and sample work before you post.
chris aldridge
Texas, United States
20 work samples
I’m a commercial drone pilot providing aerial mapping, property line overlays, topographic mapping, construction site data, radiometric thermal inspections, 3D modeling, real estate listing photography and video, property marketing, and professional aerial imagery for businesses and landowners.
Real estateWeddingEventInspectionMapping / surveyFilm / TVConstructionOther- George Benes
Oregon, United States
13 work samples
I've been a Part 107 drone pilot since 2019, working with Pacific Northwest clients on Real estate, construction progress, mapping, telecom inspections, architectural photography and events. I am very flexible and can provide deliverables within 24 - 48 hours. I take great pride in my work and having a photography business, my delivered photos are edited and culled to the best of the best. I worked for 30+ years as a commercial construction Superintendent, managing multi-million dollar construction projects and this experience allows me to be very safety oriented and knowledgeable on construction sites, providing the construction companies with usable deliverables that they can share with all stakeholders involved in their building project.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstruction 
Andy Jones
California, United States
12 work samples
FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot based in Southern California, specializing in construction documentation, infrastructure inspections, mapping, orthomosaics, and aerial imagery. With more than two decades of experience managing complex federal construction projects, I understand the importance of accuracy, safety, and delivering actionable data—not just photos. I operate professional DJI Enterprise aircraft, including the DJI Matrice 4E, DJI Matrice 4T, as well as the DJI Air 3S for high-resolution imaging and the DJI Neo 2 for specialized close-range operations. My services include construction progress documentation, roof and property inspections, land development, infrastructure photography, photogrammetry, mapping, and custom aerial imaging. I also conduct search operations for lost pets using aerial search techniques and thermal imaging. Every mission is conducted in compliance with FAA regulations, with careful mission planning, clear communication, and a commitment to delivering high-quality results on schedule. Whether you need a single inspection or recurring project documentation, my goal is to provide reliable aerial data you can confidently use to make decisions.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherFilm / TVWedding
George Colonna
Maryland, United States
12 work samples
Started flying drones for General Dynamics Robotics Systems in 2009 as the subject matter expert and lead test engineer for RCTA and a program called the Soldier Machine Interface. We developed leader/follower code for up-armored autonomous assets a full decade before Google fielded their driverless car "train" and a UI that let soldiers/marines plan missions on the ground and in the air. My job was to ensure the software worked, more importantly, met customer requirements. Working in the field afforded me a wealth of experience regarding process and implementation, but also how to think critically and resolve issues on the fly. If interested in learning more about my credentials, please see my website. My current fleet is primarily DJI and Autel. I have RTK capability and a complete field kit to sustain remote operations for several days.
InspectionMapping / surveyConstructionOtherFilm / TV- K Enagonio
Tennessee, United States
10 work samples
I've been flying since 2015 and specialize in both cinematic filmmaking as well as surveying, construction, sensitive infrastructure capture, and music videos and events.
Film / TVConstructionInspectionEventAgricultureReal estateMapping / surveyOther 
Casey Jones
Arizona, United States
9 work samples
FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot specializing in RTK mapping, aerial photography, thermal imaging, property documentation, construction progress, and detailed site capture. I operate professional DJI aircraft including the Matrice 4E and Matrice 4T, with RTK capability for repeatable, high-quality data collection. I approach each assignment as a complete mission, from airspace and site planning through safe flight operations, field verification, data handling, and final delivery. I serve clients throughout the California, Nevada, and Arizona tri-state region and am available for both individual assignments and multi-site projects.
Real estateEventMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherInspection
Inspection pilots by state
What differs by construction
Brick and masonry stacks — often old, often listed or locally significant — show cracked and spalling brickwork, failed and washed-out mortar joints, displaced or missing bricks especially at the crown, corroded banding and its fixings, vegetation growing in the joints, and staining that indicates water tracking. Reinforced concrete stacks show cracking, spalling with exposed and corroding reinforcement, carbonation staining, and the state of any liner visible at the top. Steel stacks show coating breakdown and corrosion, particularly at the top and at any point where water sits, weld condition, guy wire and anchor condition where guyed, and the state of platforms, ladders and their fixings. Across all three: lightning protection, aviation warning lights and their cabling, and any monitoring instrumentation mounted on the stack.
Flying a stack that is in service
A working stack emits a plume, and depending on the plant that plume may be hot, acidic, particulate-laden or all three. The heat produces updraughts above the stack that are not visible and not trivial, and the chemistry is unkind to an airframe flown through it. The consequence is the same discipline as a flare: approach from upwind and to the side, do not fly through or directly above the plume, and set the standoff by the conditions on the day rather than by a rule agreed in an office. Ask what the stack emits and at what temperature before scoping, and expect a competent pilot to ask you the same question first. If the plant can be brought down or the stack is out of service, say so — it opens up the flight plan considerably.
Heritage stacks are their own category
A great many surviving brick chimneys are on former industrial sites, often listed or in conservation areas, frequently with no plant attached and an owner who inherited a liability. The survey question is different: not reliability but structural risk and repair cost, usually with a conservation officer and a structural engineer involved, and often with a public footpath or a car park underneath. Photogrammetry earns its place here — a measured 3D model of the stack lets an engineer assess lean, quantify displacement and specify repairs without scaffolding a structure that may not be worth scaffolding. Say if the stack is listed, because it changes who needs to see the output and what form they want it in.
Specifying and what it cannot do
Give the height, the construction, whether it is in service and what it emits, and whether anything sits underneath it. Say if you want a photogrammetric model as well as imagery — it is the more useful deliverable if repairs or verticality are in question, and it changes the flight. Ask for the report indexed by elevation and height band with severity classification. What it cannot do: assess the liner or the interior, sound the masonry, measure steel thickness, or determine structural adequacy. Those need contact, instruments, or an engineer. The survey tells you what condition the outside is in and where to spend the access budget.
Common questions
Can the stack stay in service?
Usually yes, with the pilot working around the plume rather than through it. Tell them what the stack emits and at what temperature — that determines the approach and the standoff more than the height does.
Can it inspect the flue liner?
Not from outside. Interior survey needs the stack out of service and a caged aircraft flying without GPS with its own lighting, which is a separate specialism and a separate commission.
How much does it cost?
Far less than any access method involving scaffolding or rope. Inspection quotes on SkyLog have ranged $100 to about $1,550 with a $300 median across 13 quotes of every type; a tall in-service industrial stack sits above that, a disused brick chimney nearer the middle. Post it for real numbers.
Can we get a 3D model?
Yes, and for a masonry stack where lean, displacement or repair quantities matter it is usually the more valuable deliverable. Ask for it up front — it needs a denser capture than a photo survey.
Does it tell us whether the stack is safe?
No. It documents visible condition in detail. Structural adequacy is a judgement for a structural engineer, and the survey is what lets them make it without commissioning access first.
Our chimney is listed. Does that matter?
For the flying, no. For the output, yes — a conservation officer and an engineer will want measured information rather than photographs, so specify a model and say who the report is for.
Related drone services
Post your stack survey free
Give the height, construction, and whether it is in service and emitting. Pilots quote directly.
- No commission, ever
- Part 107 certified pilots
- No obligation to hire
Prices and guidance on this page were last reviewed .